CEO of HelloWorld in Pleasant Ridge. HelloWorld, Inc. (formerly ePrize), provides brands with a platform to communicate with consumers across the web, social and mobile channels, and at live events. Wise joined the company as CEO in March 2010. In his first year, he focused on the strategic expansion into mobile and social–enabled solutions, launching a multi–channel platform. Today, HelloWorld brings to market an SaaS platform. In the past three years, the company’s revenue has nearly doubled and its client base has tripled. Under Wise’s leadership, the firm acquired five companies, including promotions.com, and was itself acquired by private–equity firm Catterton Partners. HelloWorld has created promotional campaigns, CRM programs, and loyalty solutions in 44 countries for Fortune 500 brands and world–class agencies, including Coca-Cola, Microsoft, The Gap, Live Nation, Yahoo!, and Procter & Gamble. The company has more than 400 employees with offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, Nashville, New York, and Seattle. Prior to HelloWorld, Wise was president and CEO of Q Interactive, which became one of the largest performance–driven ad networks on the web. He was recognized as a Who’s Who technology leader by Crain’s Chicago Business three years in a row. Wise received his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Iowa, where he is now on the College of Political Science advisory board, and his master’s degree in international marketing and finance from DePaul University.

WHERE BORN: “Birmingham, Ala.”

MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSONS: “Hank Rearden, a character in the book Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, for his business philosophy. He’s not a perfect character but is the essence of what it is to build a business with your team – not build it on networking but the abilities of your team. Today is more about who you know instead of what you can build.”

LAST BOOK READ: “Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell.”

WORDS THAT DESCRIBE ME: “Eternal optimist. I don’t often worry about problems in front of us, but as long as you have some hope and will, there’s a chance you can win.”

WHERE MY FIELD/INDUSTRY IS HEADED: “The proliferation of smart screens. We started with TV and then computer screens, which are mostly anonymous and dumb – they receive communications in a one–way fashion. A smartphone knows who you are, where you are, and what you’re doing. It’s just the beginning of that – in retail, in sunglasses, literally everywhere over the next decade. HelloWorld engages consumer and brand. That ability in all screens will change how they interact.”

FAVORITE TECHNOLOGICAL GADGET: “The Recon Heads Up display in my ski goggles. It’s a test of what’s to come – it tells me where my friends are on the hill, plays music, and gives spin trajectory.”

FAVORITE PLACE: “Generally the ocean. It has literally everything you need – you can sail, fish. I now have a place in Northern Michigan so I love it up there. It’s an undiscovered gem in the U.S.”

FAVORITE HOBBIES: “Skiing for the speed and adrenalin, and I can do it with my kids.”